Classic Housetrucks 2007 Calendar

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Sharkey
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Classic Housetrucks 2007 Calendar

Post by Sharkey »

<center>Candle Dust Classic Housetrucks 2007 Calendar

Image</center>

Here's the deal:

A couple of weeks ago, I sent a "hello" email to Stu who hosts the Housetrucks NZ web site, which is a nice site chock full of lots of photos of New Zealand Housetrucks and Buses. Stu mentioned that he is looking for old issues of Wanderings Magazine, which I review elsewhere on this site. Although I had temporarily lost my reading glasses, I did some experimental scans of the old issues I had on hand to see if they could be converted to something that could be downloaded and viewed and/or printed to make the material available to all.

The result of my experiments so far is what I’m offering here, a scanned and updated Housetrucks Calendar for 2007:

CD2007Calendar.pdf

The original calendar was hand-drawn, laid up and printed by Candle Dust Carol, who was the editor and publisher of Candle Dust magazine, the predecessor magazine to Wanderings. I've put a lot of work into it. Each photograph had to be individually scanned and cropped out of the original page artwork, then pasted back into separate scans of the artwork borders. All of the scans of the dates of the month had to be cut-and-pasted into the correct order to update the calendar from 1994 to 2007. Many test printings to determine brightness and contrast were made. In short, it probably took me almost as long to put it together as it took Carol to do it from scratch.

Tips about printing

This was the first time I've explored putting together a "booklet", and the procedure for getting it off the screen and onto paper was a bit of a job. Each 8-1/2 x 11" page is divided into two sections, but only two of the eight pages are continuous, that is the two facing halves belong together. The rest are interleaved when the pages are printed, collated and assembled.

Here's what I've figured out so far:

1) If your printer prints both side of the paper automatically, then select that option in "Print Setup", and let it rip. If not, then go to step two.

2) Everyone else with inexpensive printers will need to do the following:

a) Select "Print only odd numbered pages" in the Print Setup dialog. Allow these pages to print.

b) Remove the pages from the printer's output tray and reverse the collation order (that is, the first page printed needs to be on top, and the last on the bottom if that's the reverse of how your printer spit them out)

c) Reinsert the pages - printed on one side - back into the printer's paper supply tray, being careful to put them in so that the blank side will be printed on next.

d) Select "Print only even numbered pages" in the Print Setup dialog. Allow these pages to print.

e) Remove the pages from the printer's output tray and reverse the collation order (that is, the first page printed needs to be on top, and the last on the bottom). Fold each page in half in the center, staple along the fold and you have a new calendar. The photo at the top of this page should be on the front cover when the booklet is closed.

3) I found that my ink jet printer made a more presentable product than my laser printer. Obviously, using photographic paper, or at least heavier stock paper will result in a better print job, and a more professional looking end result.

4) Stapling the pages is going to be tricky unless you have the right equipment. Alternatives are taking the pages to a commercial copy shop to be stapled (or even printed, I bet they have some sophisticated printers and paper!), or punching holes at the fold and tying the pages into a bundle with string, yarn, or small wire. If you're not fussy, you could also just use thumbtacks and pin it to the wall.

Try it out and let me know what you think, and relate any printing tips and tricks you come up with.

Now I need to see what scanning an actual magazine is going to entail…
Last edited by Sharkey on Fri May 08, 2009 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Griff
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Post by Griff »

Nice work, Sharkey! I love it! Send me (or post) a paypal link so I, and any others who appreciate your efforts, can send some small recompense for your time and enthusiasm in providing us with such treats!
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Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

Geez, I don't know, I think I'd feel weird about taking any money for doing this, kind of like I was ripping off Carol's work. There's lots of original material on this site you could pay for, though :D

Payment required = post here twice as much in 2007 than 2006, and enjoy the calendar.
Griff
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Post by Griff »

Sharkey wrote:Geez, I don't know, I think I'd feel weird about taking any money for doing this, kind of like I was ripping off Carol's work. There's lots of original material on this site you could pay for, though :D
I can relate to that! I have contributed to the assistance of a stranded member (of a different board), it was worth every penny just to read about the misadventure (while it was happening even), it was a real cliff-hanger! Fortunately, all turned out well for him in the end.
Payment required = post here twice as much in 2007 than 2006, and enjoy the calendar.
I'll do the best I can :wink: . . .my bus conversion progress has been excruciatiingly slow, and my life is not all that exciting anymore. :roll:
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stunz
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Post by stunz »

Good on ya Sharkey. You're efforts are well appreciated. My daughter has coloured our calendar in. Just some subtle colour tones on the images. It looks great.
To err is human. I like to err. Therefore, I am human...I build and host websites as well...www.hostingnz.co.nz
Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

Hey, no problem, Stu, spread it around. If it's popular, I might do it again for 2008! :D

Yesterday I had the chance to run the calendar through a high-end printer at one of the radio stations. I even used cardstock instead of copier paper. The results were much better than my old cheap ink jet printer, and the copier even did both sides at once!

I solved my calendar stapling issue by making a couple of staple-width pencil marks on the topmost page and puncturing the stack with a push pin. Then I put individual unused stapes through the holes and bent them over with a pair of needle nose pliers. Not hard for a couple of calendars, but not a mass production technique either.
Stillphil
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Post by Stillphil »

Sharkey,
I wonder if you could use a construction stapler through the pages into something fairly soft (balsa or urethane insulation board?). Then you could pull the calendar off the soft thing and bend the staple ends with needle nose like before? Maybe a little quicker.

Stillphil
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Candle Dust Carol

Housetruck Calendar

Post by Candle Dust Carol »

Hey Sharkey, you were right, you were ripping off my original material when you printed the Calendar. Even though it was updated those pics were my original material. I was surprised that you couldn't think of other things to do than that. I am happy to produce a 2010 Calendar with ORIGINAL prints if there is a demand. Let me know. Regards, Carol
jay

calendar - infringement

Post by jay »

after two and a half years????
Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

Carol;

Good hearing from you, and apologies for not being more creative and producing my own calendar. I intended the updated Candle Dust calendar to be a tribute to you and the NZ Housetruck community. I never attempted to take credit for the photos or artwork it contained, and as you read above, I refused payment for the work I did do to share it with others.

Now for the important part:

YES, I'm expressing a demand for an all-new 2010 Candle Dust Housetruck Calendar. In fact, I'll do what I can to help promote it through this site. I think you have every right to expect payment for each one you ship, so figure out what it's worth and let's make 2010 the Year of the Roadhome.
Candle Dust Carol

2010 Housetruck Calendar

Post by Candle Dust Carol »

Hi Sharkey, Yep, will give it a whirl - stand by.... CandleDust Carol. :)
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Post by Griff »

I'M IN :!: 8)

(...and I'll second that Sharkey gave you full credit for the works, and rejected all notions of compensation.) :)
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Sharkey
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Post by Sharkey »

I was trying to find my own copy of the 2007 calendar so I could see what I wrote in the back as far as crediting Carol, but I can't find a copy on this computer. The copy on the server has been down for quite a while, I even edited the link out of the first post in this topic thread when it no longer lead to the calendar file. I think that I copy-protected the PDF so that the images couldn't be copy-pasted out of it. I'll have to go out to the bus and find a copy of the calendar on my backup computer and see, not that it matters a whole bunch now.
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